The sexy/quirky/mysterious Brazilian Girls were three men -- Didi Gutman (from Argentina) on keyboards and computers, Jesse Murphy on bass, and Aaron Johnston on drums -- and one woman, Sabina Sciubba, the vocalist. Sciubba often enjoys wearing lacy eye masks on-stage and sings in no fewer than five different languages. She was born in Rome but grew up in Nice and Munich before settling in Brooklyn, NY. She first came to record buyers' attention when she recorded two jazz albums -- You Don't Know What Love Is with pianist Chris Anderson and Meet Me in London with guitarist Antonio Forcione -- for the English audiophile label Naim. She described her meeting with the men of Brazilian Girls as "love at first sight and it moved as fast as the Autobahn." Falling into the new, playful downtown scene that was revolving around the Nublu club helped speed the band's success.
Like-minded bands like Wax Poetic and the Nublu Orchestra had made the club the hip spot 2004 for adventurous pop fans and Brazilian Girls' freeform, bouncy kind of jamming fit right in. Soon they had the Saturday night slot at Nublu, and the East Village press had fallen in love with them. Murphy and Johnston made appearances on John Zorn's 2003 album Voices in the Wilderness and every Brazilian Girl contributed to Wax Poetic's sophomore release, the Nublu Sessions, the same year. The Verve Company became interested in the band around this time, thinking them perfect for the more pop and progressive imprint Verve Forecast. In 2004 the label released the Lazy Lover (EP), which included the title track -- a chillout room favorite -- in its original form and in a remix by the quirky house producer Herbert. The group's self-titled, full-length debut Brazilian Girls hit the streets in early 2005. (allmusic.com, 02/06) The band's second album, Talk to La Bomb, was released in September 2006 by Verve Forecast, to mixed reviews.
In 2008, the band released a third album "New York City" - also to mixed reviews. In the interim, singer Sciubba returned to France and had a child. Unfortunately, the band announced in January 2011 that they had broken up.
Corner Store
Brazilian Girls Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Conversation overheard oh
Between a man and a saxophone
Saxophone and mister drunk and stoned oh
He only knows one melody
You know which one I mean
I drop some change in his hat and leaveâ?¦.
Walk into the corner store
As if just to add to the atmosphere
The man behind the counter has a snow white beard
That goes all the way down to the floor
I like the music on the radio
You know which one I mean
And this is how it goes
Da da, da da, da da da
Outside on the public phone
There's again mister drunk and stoned
He's got no money but a golden smile
Sidewalk torero wave me by ohhhh
I'm whistling his melody
You know which one I mean
Suddenly he stops playing
And looks at me
And the band goes
Da da, da da, da da da
The lyrics of "Corner Store" by Brazilian Girls convey a vivid portrayal of a bustling and diverse urban environment, where people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, and social classes converge in the same space. The song, which has a laid-back and jazzy feel, captures the sensory experience of walking around a corner and discovering a world of new sounds, sights, and smells.
The first lines of the song, "Around the corner a different world / Conversation overheard oh," suggest that the singer is eavesdropping on a conversation between a man and a saxophone player, who is probably homeless or destitute. The saxophonist, who only knows one melody, seems to be lost in his music and oblivious to his surroundings, while the man in the conversation might be offering him some words of advice, solace, or scolding. The interaction between the two characters is both poignant and mysterious, as it hints at the deeper layers of human connection and miscommunication that often occur in public spaces.
The second stanza of the song, "Walk into the corner store / Through neon signs and revolving doors," introduces a new setting, where the singer enters a corner store and encounters a kindly old man with a long white beard who seems to be the proprietor. Despite his eccentric appearance, the man exudes a sense of warmth and familiarity that makes the singer feel at ease. The reference to the music on the radio creates a sense of intimacy and shared experience between the singer and the store owner, as if they are both tuned into the same frequency of life.
The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "da da, da da, da da da," adds a playful and hypnotic element to the song, as if inviting the listener to join in the groove and lose themselves in the moment. The final verse of the song, "Outside on the public phone / There's again mister drunk and stoned," brings the story full circle, as the saxophonist from the first verse resurfaces, this time interacting with the singer in a more meaningful way. The fact that the singer is whistling his melody and that the saxophonist stops playing and looks at her suggests a moment of recognition and appreciation between two strangers who share a love of music and a sense of isolation in the city.
Overall, "Corner Store" is a song that celebrates the beauty and diversity of urban life, while also acknowledging its pitfalls and challenges. By painting a vivid picture of the characters and settings that populate this world, the song invites us to open our eyes and ears to the everyday magic that surrounds us.
Line by Line Meaning
Around the corner a different world
There is a completely different world beyond the corner
Conversation overheard oh
I heard a conversation by chance
Between a man and a saxophone
The conversation was between a man and a saxophone player
Saxophone and mister drunk and stoned oh
The saxophone player was with a drunk man
He only knows one melody
The saxophone player only knows how to play one tune
You know which one I mean
The tune is well-known
I drop some change in his hat and leaveâ?¦.
I give him some money and leave
Walk into the corner store
I walk into the nearby store
Through neon signs and revolving doors
I pass through neon signs and revolving doors
As if just to add to the atmosphere
It seems like the atmosphere is intentionally created
The man behind the counter has a snow white beard
The man behind the counter has a long white beard
That goes all the way down to the floor
The beard is very long, going down to the floor
I like the music on the radio
I enjoy the music playing on the radio
You know which one I mean
The song is well-known
And this is how it goes
This is how the song goes
Da da, da da, da da da
The song has a particular melody
Outside on the public phone
There is a public phone outside
There's again mister drunk and stoned
The drunk man is still there
He's got no money but a golden smile
The man has no money but a bright smile
Sidewalk torero wave me by ohhhh
Someone on the sidewalk waves at me
I'm whistling his melody
I start whistling the saxophone player's tune
Suddenly he stops playing
The saxophone player suddenly stops playing
And looks at me
He looks at me
And the band goes
The band keeps playing
Da da, da da, da da da
The tune continues
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: AARON JOHNSTON, DIDI GUTMAN, JESSE YUSEF MURPHY, SABINA SCIUBBA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Leticia Gutiérrez González
Me encanta esta rola desde hace más de 10 años que la escucho y me pone de buen humor 😍😍
cogdesign
Awesome song and album...what happened with NYC?
Abel B Guadarrama
great song
TreeKid13
I searched "dadada dadada dadada" and that brought me here :)))
bennymcfarlane
*dancing*